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Grant Wahl

Grant Wahl

Grant Wahl covers global and domestic soccer for Sports Illustrated, which he joined in November 1996 as a fact-checker. He became a senior writer in October 2000. Over the years, Wahl has produced in-depth stories and videos on some of the world’s biggest clubs (including Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Chelsea) and top-level players (Didier Drogba, David Beckham, Luis Suárez), in addition to all the leading personalities in U.S. soccer. Wahl has covered six men’s World Cups and four women’s World Cups. He fell in love with soccer in his adopted country of Argentina, where he wrote his Princeton University thesis on politics and soccer in that country, and he speaks conversational Spanish. Wahl lives in New York City with his wife, Celine, and their dogs, Coco and Zizou. He’s active on Twitter (@GrantWahl), Instagram and Facebook.

FRIEND OF POPES, LOVER OF PIGS, OFTEN-TAUNTED SYMBOL OF AN INCREASINGLY MULTIRACIAL EUROPE—MARIO BALOTELLI IS A LIGHTNING ROD FOR ATTENTION. AT 23, ITALY'S STAR FORWARD ALSO HAS TALENT THAT'S EVERY BIT AS ELECTRIC AS HIS PERSONALITY